2008-08-28 09:56:00
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10). "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
We enjoyed our brief visit to Newport Rhode Island where we often enjoyed taking day trips and our out of town guests when we lived in New England. It is a very popular vacation area and for many years was the summer getaway for the wealthy who built huge mansions as "summer cottages." Now many of the mansions are open as tourist sites and Brooksyne enjoys touring them (not Stephen).
An old song says, "A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They're building a palace for me over there." God is the Master Builder. "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3). He's still at work building His church and transforming the individual lives of the millions who are daily turning to Him in faith and obedience.
He's also at work in preparing a place that people of faith through the generations have been anticipating. In the first daily text I rejoice in the line that states, "if it were not so, I would have told you." Jesus always tells us the truth and just what we need to know.
Today, we, like the great man of faith Abraham, "look forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." We only have glimpses of what this "city" will be like, but we can be assured it will be indescribably wonderful. "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14).
Today on the personal level some of you are dealing with what appears to be a lapse in the building program. At times it may even seem that God has abandoned His building project in your life. Your prayers seem to be unanswered. Issues in your life aren't getting resolved as you would like. There may be strife in your marriage and home. Some are dealing with a long-standing stronghold of pornography or other destructive addictions they're seeking to overcome. Others are dealing with lengthy career transitions that have thus far not worked out as they had anticipated.
What issue are you dealing with today? Don't give up. Hold to your faith! Here's a promise that we can all count on; "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion!" Fellow believer, wherever you live, whatever you're going through; stay faithful to the Mansion Builder, for the Mansion Builder is ever faithful to us. "Do not throw away your confidence, for it will be richly rewarded."
"Why should I worry, why should I fret,
Cause I've got a Mansion Builder who ain't through with me yet." *
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for the absolute truthfulness of your Word. We can rely upon your promises even when the temporal evidence we are experiencing suggests otherwise. Thank you for the promises in Scripture concerning our eternal home. Help us as we deal with what Your Word says are "our light and momentary troubles" and to recognize that they are "achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Today "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
(See 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 for further inspiration)
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